U.S. soldiers with the Hawaii-based 8th Theater Sustainment Command load vehicles and equipment for Talisman Sabre drills in Bandiana, Australia, in June 2025. (Devin Davis/U.S. Army)
The U.S. military is planning a new logistics hub in southeastern Australia as part of a broader effort to expand its ability to sustain forces across the Pacific.
A June 10 solicitation issued by Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command seeks contractors for multiple construction projects at Bandiana, in the Australian state of Victoria, to support what it describes as “critical forward provisioning” for the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps.
The project is expected to cost up to $30 million, according to the solicitation.
The plans comes as the United States and Australia continue expanding military cooperation amid concerns about a potential conflict involving China over Taiwan or disputed territory in the South China Sea.
The solicitation states that the work is intended to support U.S. Pacific Command posture initiatives and improve the military’s ability to store, maintain and distribute equipment throughout the region.
The command, formerly called U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, reverted to its old name on Tuesday.
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Dawn Johnson, left, and Australian army Brig. Gen. Andrew Harrison-Wyatt discuss logistics at Gallipoli Barracks, Brisbane, in July 2025. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
Bandiana, home to one of Australia’s largest military logistics facilities, has already played a role in U.S. prepositioning efforts.
The U.S. and Australia announced the successful trial prepositioning of U.S. Army equipment and material there in a joint statement in August 2024.
The proposed facility is the latest in a series of initiatives expanding the U.S. military footprint in Australia.
A rotational Marine Corps force has operated from Darwin in the Northern Territory since 2012. The two countries are also funding upgrades to military facilities in Northern Australia, including at RAAF Base Tindal, to support future U.S. bomber task force rotations.
Last month, the Navy established Naval Support Activity Stirling near Perth in Western Australia to support future rotations of U.S. and British nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS — Australia, United Kingdom, United States — security partnership.
In September, Australia approved the storage and maintenance of Marine Corps MV-22B Ospreys at Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport in Queensland during the Northern Territory’s rainy season.
During the 2025 Talisman Sabre exercise, U.S. forces carried out the first major movement of prepositioned American military equipment from South Australia to the country’s northeast, Maj. Adan Cazarez, a spokesman for the Hawaii-based 8th Theater Sustainment Command, said at the time.
The Australian Defence Department said the temporary storage of U.S. military equipment at its facilities is consistent with longstanding agreements between the two countries.
“To enable projection from Australia’s north, the National Defence Strategy requires Defence to maintain a resilient network of southern base infrastructure focused on force generation, sustainment, health networks, and logistics nodes,” the department said in a statement emailed Wednesday.
The effort mirrors similar initiatives elsewhere in the Pacific.
In March, Marines moved equipment that had been prepositioned at sea to the Philippine island of Mindanao and then on to Luzon ahead of the annual Balikatan exercise.
The service opened a supply depot at the former U.S. naval base at Subic Bay last year to support humanitarian assistance and disaster-response missions.
